In
mid-December, we did a collaborative column concerning the rapid growth of
podcasts with Gerry Purdy, of Mobilicity, a highly respected expert on mobile
technology and its growing applications,

It
got us to thinking about how ultra-personalized OTT (over the top) content
distribution has really stimulated personalized and ultra personalized content information,
education and enjoyment.

According
to industry analysts, 36 percent of the world’s nearly 8B population has a smartphone
and Statista reports that more than 60 percent of the TV viewers use the
smartphone to watch/listen to other shows or participate in show social media
sites.

With
the slow introduction of high-speed 5G technology starting this year, it is
projected that more people will take advantage of their always-available,
always-on smartphones for their information/entertainment.

Purdy
highlighted the expanding audio podcast market, but we like to think of the
potential in broader audio/video terms.

The
truth is our kids have never sat down in front of the TV without their smartphones
in hand and earbuds hanging down. We used
to think they were online getting insider information and exchanging
discussions about the shows, plots and actors.

Our
daughter corrected us, saying she was actually listening to a Netflix podcast,
so she could binge on the details of the shows she was visually bingeing on
with the TV, her Mac or iPhone.

Our
son was catching up with several of his video gaming streaming segments.

All
we could think was, “Kids, you really need to get a life!”

It
turns out our daughter has 10 podcast channels – audio and video – she tunes in
to regularly to get her news, information and entertainment; while our son has
six video and two audio channels he “tunes in” to.

They’re
not alone.

As
Purdy pointed out, Apple is the home of over 525,000 active shows with more
than 18.5 million episodes in over 100 languages available in 155 countries and
29 groupings of localized editorial.

Being Heard – Audio podcasts have gained a strong foothold in the
information/entertainment arena as people have their “receiver” with them all
the time. Video podcasts are gaining
popularity as people begin taking advantage of the speed, capacity and
reliability of 4GLTE technology and prepare for 5G availability.

In
addition, there are hundreds – probably thousands – of audio and video podcast
hosting sites around the globe.

The
great thing is there are a number of sources for finding a podcast you’ll
enjoy. Enter the name of the person or the
topics you want to watch or listen to and BAM! you’ll locate the subject of
interest in no time.

Reaching Mass – With folks accustomed to doing a quick search and quickly
finding the audio/video content they want combined with the lower production cost,
podcasts/webcasts can efficiently and effectively reach 10-100,000 people
around the globe who are interested in specific subjects and content. The trend will continue to grow.

Hate
to keep going over the same path again and again; but Chris Anderson, of Wired magazine, spelled out how content
was going to be personalized back in 2004 when he first came up with the long
tale concept.

Getting
the exact demographics and viewer/listenership of an audio or video podcast (we
lump webcasts in the category) is difficult.

While
only half of the 8B people on the planet are internet connected, we’re pretty
certain only a portion of them are interested in keeping abreast of the very
latest in tech news analysis, content creation technology/workflow issues/solutions
or content production/distribution standards/technology.

But
they have drawn audiences. Between
2014-17, viewer/listenership increased more than 157 percent–undoubtedly due
to the fact that more people are getting more of their unfiltered news on their
smartphones.

For
example, we’ve enjoyed Recode Decode
podcasts for years.

Where’s the Meat? – Kara Swisher, host of Recode Decode, has become a
recognized and respected individual in the technology industry. She goes
toe-to-toe with corporate and industry leaders to get the straight answers listeners
want in today’s market.

Without
a doubt, she’s one of the sharpest (and at times toughest) hosts you’ll enjoy
whether she’s on stage and their annual events or biweekly on her interview
series.

Co-executive
producer of the Code Conference and co-host of Recode Decode with Walt Mossberg before he retired, she is able to
consistently get some of the most influential business leaders on the show.

There
are times you wonder how she gets them to commit to be on the show because she
conducts a hard-hitting, no-holds-barred set of interviews. They’re a lot like the best 60 Minutes interviews you’ll watch
because she asks the questions people want answered without being mean about
it.

Okay.
it’s just a darn good show because the host is a strong journalist!

One
of our long-time video industry shows has been Larry Jordan’s Digital Production
Buzz.

Buzz
has been around since the beginning of podcasting. It’s the second-oldest show you can listen to
– Adam Curry’s All Things Digital went on the air in May 2000 and Buzz “hit the
airwaves” in September.

On the Air – Weekly, Larry Jordan (l), host of Digital Production
Buzz, interviews some of the most respected people in the content creation
industry. His annual show at NAB gives
senior management such as Dan May, president of Blackmagic Design, the
opportunity to discuss what’s new and why it’s important to the audience. Also on the show was Michael Horton (r),
co-host and president of LAPCUG.

The show has been on the air for the
past 18 years, usually with four interview segments with executives and
technology experts from around the world.
What we like most about the show is that in the four separate segments
there is almost always one interview exchange we find of interest.

For a brief period (2015-16) Buzz
was video and according to Jordan, now that video streaming has become more reliable,
they will add video to the mix this year.
We’re sorta’ looking forward to seeing Buzz back on the air!

The show is aired live every Thursday
evening and then recorded/stored on Libsyn for distribution through iTunes,
Spotify, Libsyn, IHeartRadio and DigitalProductionBuzz.

When
it comes to video podcasts, we’re the first to admit that we play a little loose
with the description because we tend to see webcasts and podcasts in the same
light…when we “tune in,” the show is there, and we watch it.

It’s
similar to what we do with our streaming TV shows and movies whether they’re on
Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, HBO, YouTube or your favorite here.

Like
streaming TV/film services, most are by subscription – free or paid.

A
show that has become one of our viewing standards is the Digital Cinema Show
hosted by Digital Cinema Society President, James Mathers. The program focuses
on helping industry professionals keep current on motion picture technology.

DCS
has more than 7,000 members around the globe who regularly “tune in” to stay
current in their work. In addition, they also attract thousands from their
postings on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Vimeo.

Pro to Pro ­ — James Mathers (r), president of Digital Cinema Society
and host of the Digital Cinema Show, interviews Academy Award-winning Cinematographer,
Russell Carpenter, ASC, during their annual DCS Cinema Lighting Expo.
Mathers schedules film industry production experts and industry leaders as
guests to give the growing audience a better idea of where the film and TV
industry is going.

The
Digital Cinema Society is a nonprofit educational cooperative dedicated to
helping the industry keep current on motion picture technology. Now
entering their 16th year of operation with an international membership nearing
7K, they also attract many more thousands of followers on Facebook, Twitter,
LinkedIn and Vimeo.

For
nearly 16 years, Mathers has streamed coverage and interviews from NAB and
CinGear Expo. The show coverage also includes segments on lighting, post,
camera support, accessories, lenses and more.

In
addition to shows that cover motion picture production and post, they recently
held an event on indie film finance and distribution which has also been posted
as webcasts for their audience.

Staying
current with the industry, DCS recently added a streaming link –https://tinyurl.com/yc4vmsqw*** – to
keep people abreast of what’s happening in the industry.

For
the video content industry, SMPTE (Society of Motion Picture and Television
Engineers) has the most informative video webcast programs you’ll find online. With the rapid changes taking place in the
industry, Joel Welch, director of education, told us they were in the process
of beefing up and broadening their online viewing services.

During
the year, they have a regular series of Standards Update Webcasts (check the
site for listings) on the latest standards developments that give viewers a chance
to “peek under the hood” and understand the issues and developments.

Opening Title – One of the most popular webcasts SMPTE puts on annually
is a member update and open question forum.
The webcast is streamed live with plenty of give and take between executives
and the audience. For those who can’t view live, they can stream it on their
device when they have the time.

SMPTE
members have access to a wide range of Technology Webcasts (non-members can
view for a small fee0 covering hot topics and technologies. It’s a great service for film/show production
professionals to “tune in” to shows that include storage, stereoscopic 3D, live
streaming and a rainbow of subjects (click
here for entire list of webcasts).

If
you can’t catch the regular 90-minute live SMPTE Standards webcasts, there is
always on-demand playback. Simply click
here to see what you’ve missed.

Webcasts
(public and private) are becoming increasingly important for organizations, especially
in the B2B educational/informational arena. The problem is most are talking heads, head/PowerPoint
or other weak sales pitches that bore people into a coma.

With
sufficient bandwidth and economic, easy-to-use creative tools, they represent a
tragic waste of opportunities. However,
there are those who have found the secret by combining craft – what you expect
to learn from the webcast – with creativity.

Jason
Bache, of NerdsLimited, and his team tailor their presentations to a specific company
audience and treat the event as a creative video production.

“Sterile
voiceover presentations that regurgitate the same words combined with ‘beep, next
slide’ are too prevalent and too ineffective when the training session doesn’t
have a strong dose of creative art, so people enjoy learning,” he explained.

“Yes,
we have a list of craft issues we need to cover in the webcast,” he explained, “but
the order, method, depth and supporting examples need to be creatively incorporated
so the webcast not only educates and informs but also entertains and keeps the
viewer interested and involved.”

“Corporate
production and training webcasts that lack art simply let the air out of the
room, wasting time and money for everyone,” he concluded.

Central Source – A growing number of apps have been developed to make
it fast and easy for people to locate the specific audio and video podcasts
they want to listen to or watch when it is convenient for them. The growing use of smartphones has also
stimulated increased interest in special interest podcasts.

Brands
like Pepsi, Starbucks, Google, Microsoft, Dell, HP and hundreds of others have
jumped into the audio/video podcast and webcast arenas and have indicated they
are seeing strong response and following.

As
Purdy noted in the joint column, there are over 525,000 active shows, over 18.5
million episodes and increased attention in the benefits and use of video
streams.

As
content and variety have grown, so has the fanbase:

In
2014, there were 7B downloads

In
2016, that number jumped to 10.5B

In
2017, it jumped to 13.7B downloads
and streams, across Podcasts and iTunes.

In
March 2018, Apple Podcasts passed 50B downloads
and streams.

While
there are a lot of strong, informative podcasts out there, creative
minds and innovative organizations are creating new ones.

And
given the strip-mining social media firms are doing with everyone’s privacy,
they create a path for these podcasts and webcasts to reach individuals who want
to learn more about specific subjects.

Steady Growth – The popularity of special interest audio/video
podcasts has grown steadily among both sexes and all age groups. With more than half of the world’s population
now online, the breadth of audio and video shows capturing audience attention
continues to grow.

However,
it is too much to hope that if you build it, they will come. (That only happens
in movies.)

You
will have to promote the content on a consistent and continuing basis.

It
has taken years for Digital Production
Buzz to become the podcast to tune in to to find out the latest in the content
production industry.

It
has taken an aggressive outreach program (plus meaty content) for Recode Decode to become the pulse of the
technology industry.

It
has taken work for Digital Cinema Show
and SMPTE Webcasts to be considered reliable
industry sources.

It
requires reliable information and an ongoing focus on consistent promotion to grow
your audience.

Audio/video
podcast and webcast growth is a virtuous cycle and aligns with important
trends:

They’re
perfect for on-demand, content binge consumption, which users have become
accustomed to from other media.

They’re
ideal for customized/personal curation. Listen/watch what you want, when you
want.

They’re
shareable

They
have their own longtail audience growth over time as more people find them, listen/view
segments

Audio/video
podcasts and webcasts will assume their rightful place in the viewing and
listening spectrum for creative content folks to bypass traditional restraints
and reach an interested audience.

Mildred
Hayes realized that when she said, “Wow.
When you can’t trust the lawyers and the advertising men, what the hell’s
America coming to, huh?”